Magic Proficiency

Concentrate your mana in your hand. Done, I guess. Now, imagine an apple the clearest you can. And… voilà!

— The result is… This doesn’t even look like an apple, dammit! What the fuck did I do wrong?

— Sakaki-san, did something happen? Can I see it?

— Ah, sure, teacher…

The apple Komoe created looked like a coal. It was so rotten that it didn’t had the shape of a fruit.

— Whoa, Sakaki-san, this is the first time I see an apple in this state.

— So I’m not a prodigy, after all…

— No, no! I don’t mean it’s necessarily bad! You tried to make na apple with magic residue, right?

— Ah, I guess so. I just did the normal process.

— This probably happened because you left too much magic residue. It can have some negative impacts in where it’s placed. But it’s not visible in low amounts.

— Really? How can I reduce it?

— It’s really difficult for beginners to reduce it rather than erasing it completely. You’ll learn with practice, so it’s better not to hurry. Besides, this is your natural amount of magic residue, so your mana is really powerful.

— Hm, okay…

— Now try creating an apple with no magic residue. You’ll feel an energy leaving your mana and pouring into the apple, so just remove that.

— Right, I think I can do it.

A boy wit short black hair was waiting shyly for the teacher until she stop talking to Komoe.

— Um, teacher? Did I do it right?

The boy showed the two apples to the teacher. Smiling, she replied.

— Yes, it’s super right, Karaage-san! The two apples are visually identical, so the magic residue in the first didn’t deteriorate it!

Karaage, huh? His mother was hungry for fried chicken, it seems. God, he’s cute. He kinda looks like my brother, but half a meter shorter. Maybe I try talking to him tomorrow. Now, I have to concentrate.

Komoe tried segregating the energy from the mana. A healthy apple was born.

— Yes, I did it!

— Well done, Sakaki-san! Ah, did you store the magic residue inside of you? I forgot to mention that if you remove it from the object, you can either hold it or release it into your body, but it accumulates twice as fast.

— Ah, I didn’t know it. I put it on my body. Will I rot now?

— Probably not. Since it’s your natural amount, your mana can neutralize it easily.

“Probably”? Not really reassuring, but I think I won’t die for now.

Tomoe made two very nutritious apple. Stella created a lamp in form of an apple, since it was shining brightly. Tanaka, the rude guy who had a crush on Stella, made a fresh cement amalgamation that was dripping from his hands. The taste was horrible.

— You did very well for your first time, class! Now, time for your second test: the proficiency meter. You will put your dominant hand on this sphere and it will show your main magic type. In addition, I will evaluate it in points for pure visualization!

The teacher was holding a scepter that was taller than her. It had a blue spherical crystal on top of it.

The students came one by one for the test. The first of Komoe’s club was Tanaka.

— Tanaka-san, your magic type is… cement, 99 points!

— You can’t be serious… I thought it would be something cooler, like fire… I guess it would hotter, but you get it!

Then, Tomoe.

— Kihara-san, your main type is… Nature, 211 points!

— Yay! That’s why my apples were so delicious!

Third, Stella.

— Stella, yours is… Light, 354 points!

— Whoa! I guess my parents knew it when they named me!

Now, Komoe.

This is my time! I can’t wait to know how many points I can get!

— Sakaki-san, your magic type is… Whoa!

Suddenly, the crystal broke in a million pieces.

— I guess we’ll never know!

— What?! That can’t be right! Teacher, do I have to pay for it?

— Don’t worry about that! I can repair it later. Besides, it’s not much expensive. More importantly, Sakaki-san, I think the scepter couldn’t measure your power level, since it’s too high.

— Wait, really? So there’s no way to know what is my specialty?

— Of course there is! That’s why we’re in a shooting range! You’ll materialize your first weapon: a magic bow! It will take the form that suits you the most, but let’s try a bow first, since it’s simpler to make than a firearm.

The short black-haired guy was the first to create a bow. Since he couldn’t know his specialty after the crystal broke, it was his time.

The bow was purple and looked like a galaxy. The teacher recognized it.

— Karaage-san, your type is void!

Hey, you must be kidding me. This cute boy has the same type as that whore that attacked me?

The boy materialized the arrow. It had a spherical tip, looking like a black hole. He shot it towards the center of the shooting target. The arrow destroyed the whole circle and part of the wall, flying beyond.

— A-Ah, I didn’t mean to do that! I’m really sorry, teacher!

— Don’t worry, Karaage-san! I can repair it, since it’s just a wall and a target!

The teacher extended her hands towards the broken wall. A magical circle formed in her palm.

— What is broken must return to it’s original form. Materia, time and space, it all comes in one!

Both the wall and the target started healing. It took around five seconds for the spell to end.

— Class, what I recited now was an enchantment spell. It takes more time to conjure, since talking is essential, but it saves mana and reduces magic residue on both the target and the sorcerer. But that will be for another class.

Wow, she’s really good at this. Despite her appearance, she’s wise.

— Ah, I forgot to mention, Karaage-san. You got 776 points on this test.

776 points?! The numbers keep increasing, I wonder what is the limit… I can’t wait to see mine.

Now, it was Stella’s time. She created a radiant bow and arrow. The shot penetrated both the red circle and the wall.

— 278 points, Stella! For perfect precision, it doubles to 556!

Then, Tanaka.

Summoning a bow of cement, it was now hard rather than fresh and dripping. The tip of the arrow was rudimentary, since it was blunt. The shot hit the target with bad precision and it didn’t stick, so it fell to the ground.

— 148 points, Tanaka-san!

— Still terrible, but a little better, I guess…

Now, it was Tomoe’s turn. She materialized a wooden bow with leaves all over it. The arrow was normal, but with some vines attached to it. The shot was medium precision. After it landed, the vines spread into the target and wall, holding it like a trap.

— 344 points, Kihara-san! Plus half for immobilizing the target, so 516 points!

Finally, it was Komoe’s time. She couldn’t wait any longer, so she wouldn’t hold back.

— Sakaki-san, since your mana is too high, could you please tone it down to this shooting range? 

— Hm, okay, I guess I can do that.

Komoe concentrated the mana on her hands, holding the air like a bow. Suddenly, it started to materialize. An unique rainbow energy converged into the weapon. Once it was done, its colors interchanged between diverse colors, like an RGB bow. The arrow was overflowing with mana, but Komoe removed the magic residue from it.

— Wow, Sakaki-san! I never saw a rainbow one before! This is not only rare, but really powerful!

— Really?! Not even you know its magic type?

Okay, calm down, Komoe. You got this, don't destroy the whole shooting range. Reduce the power inside of it.

What Komoe didn't calculate was the impact it would have after destroying the wall. She thought it would dissipate into thin air after travelling some meters. But she did reduce the power inside of the shooting range, so it shouldn't be disastrous, right?

Close your eyes and breath deeply, Komoe. Don't fumble this. 3, 2, 1...

Komoe opened her eyes and released the arrow immediately. It destroyed the whole wall.

Eh? I thought I suppressed it...

After a few meters, a fire ball started growing around the arrow. It became so big and fast that it erased two whole mountains in the way, leaving a magma trace. It travelled a few more kilometers, before dissipating.

The heat caused water vapor to turn into a huge cloud in the sky. A dragon started falling after the mountains disappeared. The cloud released a lightning so powerful that it decimated the injured dragon instantly.

When the lightning struck the ground, its electricity became so intense that a huge circle of energy formed. Anyone who stepped on it would certainly die. It lasted for a few seconds, before visually dissipating.

— Eh?

— Sakaki-san, you... you killed an ancient dragon...